Sir Jim Ratcliffe has just been sued by Tottenham, not long after the Europa League final between Tottenham and Man United ended. That was a match in which Spurs beat United with a minimal score and won an official championship for the first time in 17 years. Meanwhile, Man United ended the 2024-2025 season empty-handed and INEOS - the group that owns the team - received a lot of criticism.
However, the battle between Tottenham and Man United, more precisely with INEOS, has not stopped. Back in 2022, before INEOS and Sir Jim officially took over Man United, the group signed a sponsorship deal with Tottenham. INEOS has agreed a deal with Tottenham to make INEOS Grenadier a partner for the official 4x4 car segment of the London team.
This contract is valid for 5 years, but in March 2025, INEOS suddenly terminated the sponsorship contract for Tottenham. Spurs were outraged by the move and filed a lawsuit with the London Court of Commerce. However, the court has only accepted the lawsuit, and there are no further documents related to the case.
Up to now, British media believes that the incident is actually just a dispute over the terms in the contract and it is uncertain whether INEOS has completely misled it. A spokesperson for INEOS Automotive said: "INEOS Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, taking over the cooperation agreement that INEOS Group signed with the club since 2020. We have the right to terminate the cooperation contract according to the contract and have exercised that right in December 2024".
In March 2025, it was reported that INEOS had reached a sponsorship deal with New Zealand Rugby. Last month, they sued INEOS after alleging that the first funding in 2025 under the 6-year deal signed in 2021 had not yet been paid.
Thus, not only Totteham, but other units have filed a lawsuit against INEOS regarding sponsorship money. This move further raises suspicions that the group is in financial trouble. A series of recent personnel cuts and spending cuts at Man United are the clearest proof. At this point, it is unclear whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe feels regretful about taking over Man United or not? Unprecedented success and money have brought INEOS many financial problems.
This summer, Man United have only welcomed Metheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5 million. They are approaching and hoping to get Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford at the same price range. This summer's number 1 target is Viktor Gyokeres, who has refused and could join Arsenal in the next few weeks.
Man United ended the 2024-2025 Premier League in 15th place (lowest in history) and were left empty-handed in all competitions. They will not participate in any European Cup next season.
